HP LaserJet 5000n Toner Cartridges Printer Review

Expert review of the HP LaserJet 5000n printer21 April 2011

Our Verdict:

HP may be dominant in the home office market, but they have rarely ventured out into the competition of the small to medium office arena. The HP LaserJet 5000N was designed to be a workplace printer that could handle a relatively high volume of prints, juggle multiple print jobs at once, provide crisp laser prints, and be able to back it up with the software and user interface to make it all possible.

Design

The 5000N is a relatively large unit with a decent price tag. Along the lower lip on the back is all the network and power connections including the ability to hook directly into a wireless router or network adapter. It is a monochrome laser printer with all the slide outs along the front and side walls. There are two pullout paper trays on the front wall which allows for the quick refilling of paper. The HP 5000N toner cartridges can be popped in and out quickly due to the quick-release hatch on the side.

Advantages

This is actually one of the best printers anywhere near the price range. At 16 pages per minute, it is pushing at the higher end of print speeds for that amount of dpi. It also has one of the largest paper trays for a printer of this size at 850 pieces in the main slide out tray. The networking options make it perfect for engaging in multiple print jobs and it can even serve as a standalone print server. The software supplements the multiple media trays that can be swapped in and out of the auxiliary pullout tray. Between the high-capacity HP 5000DN toner cartridges and large paper bay, the maintenance of this printer should be relatively rare.

Disadvantages

As a monochrome printer, the LaserJet 5000N is not suited for a company or home office that is going to rely heavily on colour prints. It also may backup print jobs for any offices that are going to require 20+ prints per minute. While it may be a decent option for a small business sticking to a few thousand single-colour text prints a week, medium-sized companies may find themselves outgrowing this printer quickly.